Holistic wellness is about mind-body-community wellness. Explore our thought pieces on a number of important lifestyle topics that we hope may spark some inspiration on your journey.
Kapha aggravations can impact the health of the kidneys, lungs, mucus membranes, bladder, fluid content. It can lead to swellings, heaviness and accumulations of mucus in the body. It increased by the salty, sour and sweet tastes e.g. salt, citrus fruits and refined sugars. Kapha is decreased by pungent, bitter and astringent tastes (e.g. turmeric, bitter green, black tea, ginger).
Here is a sample meal plan, herbs and spices to consider in winter months.
Read MoreAyurvedic wisdom places a significant focus on the connection between nature’s seasons and the doshic balance within us. Staying mindful of the time of year and adjusting your routine can help to keep imbalances at bay.
The key is proactively managing the elemental balance that fluctuates in each season. For instance, pitta dosha increases in late spring as the weather warms up and we start to approach summer season, so you’d incorporate more cooling foods and lifestyle practices. Similarly, while we might have been managing vata dosha through early to mid autumn, we’d now slowly shift gears as the weather becomes cooler, wetter and more earthy at the end of Autumn nearing the approach of winter in Australia next month (June).
Read MoreOn my most recent trip to Sri Lanka I attended one of my mum’s yoga classes and learned this fantastic asana to help activate the ajna chakra, which is located between the eyebrows and is indigo in colour.
It governs insight, intuition and the function of brain, ears, eyes and the hypothalamus, which works with the pituitary gland to secrete and regulate a number of hormones. When it is at its full potential you are more able to stay calm under pressure, think more clearly and decisively, become more self aware and able to tap into your gut voice and intuition. It brings deep calm and steadiness.
Read MoreWe have all had moments that we’ve been triggered by a situation or person leading to an intense emotional response (sometimes ones we regret). Some are skilled or mindful enough to let that response be what it truly is – an emotion. They experience it, acknowledge it, allow it to dissipate. In the absence of this mindful processing or regulation that emotional response usually escapes, becoming a reaction. It is in this stage or the ‘heat of the moment’ that we can say or do things we may later regret.
Read MoreExperience powerful Sri Lankan Ayurvedic herbal steam inhalation therapy and a massage / release of key marma points along with heat therapy to help you loosen the congestion and heaviness of hay fever and blocked sinuses.
Suitable for both seasonal as well as chronic conditions.
Read MoreThe Sage Patanjali says that to bring peace to the mind, watch and regulate the breath. In the practice of Hatha yoga, this is one of the main aims: to control the movement of the Prana, through breathing. To practice, begin with a deep inhalation and exhalation and then watch the breath move in and out, slowly. This is an observation of prana-apana - the force moving up is prana and the force moving down is apana. Both ayurveda and hatha yoga focus on the balance of these two forces to find equilibrium and peace
Read MoreAs we move through what seems like an endless loop of lockdowns it is easily to feel flat, disappointed, worn out and lacking motivation. Remember that not every day will be the same - today may be low, tomorrow upbeat. Remind yourself ‘this too shall pass’; remember the journey is never linear - in fact most times it is the opposite, and listen to what your body and mind are asking you to do to keep life light even in the smallest way…
Read MoreLockdown after lockdown has worn many of us out. We are over talking about it yet it’s always in every conversation. Limited movement, possibilities; tiring. One thing I have returned to whenever I can in the week is to observe nature - the tranquility that birds, insects, trees & plants seem to maintain whilst things around us, and them, change so much has a stabilising, assuring quality.
Read MoreHere is an update on the backbends I practiced recently and have been adding in to my daily practice for warming up and energising
Read MoreAmalaki (Amla) or Indian Gooseberry is a great natural source of vitamin C and one of the 3 fruits used to produce the highly revered ‘triphala’ formulation. Amla helps to manage excess pitta in the body, supporting the natural functions of the liver and the immune system
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Amla oil or churna made into a hair pack is especially good at alleviating hair loss and early greyness. It is a renowned rejuvenative and adaptogen for slowing age (vayahsthapana), increasing virility, promoting immunity and inducing balanced health (satmikarana).
For anyone feeling anxious or a little edgy, try listening to or playing along with a Tibetan singing bowl. Simply rest the bowl loosely on the palm of your hand and strike it once, focusing on the sound and its vibration, and leaving all other thoughts aside just for that moment. Then when this fades, strike again and repeat the process, all the while allowing this vibration to displace that edginess
Read More'When ojas is low the person is fearful, weak, worried, has deranged senses, poor complexion, weak mind, is rough and thin’ (Caraka Samhita Sutrasthana 17.73). However, a person with healthy ojas is calm, content & peaceful within, has strong immunity, digestion, potent fertility and endurance. There is a sparkle in the eye and a special ‘glow’ around them.
Read MoreThe year 2020 taught us how to find peace and balance even when the answers seem totally unknown. Uncertainty and a need to know right now, to do away with the ‘grey’ is a challenge for most. So being forced to look uncertainty in the face and sit with its impact for the most part of 12 months, will have strengthened this psychic muscle.
In the spirit of venturing forth with this learning in place, here are some thoughts on intention setting and getting in ‘flow’ for 2021…
Read MorePart 2 of my post on sitting through and resetting from unpleasant feelings. (Part One is here).
To recap, we can release the ‘grip’ of unpleasant feelings that sometimes gets stuck within us and flattens us for hours or days by using awareness and release. This helps to loosen this grip within minutes by tapping into our neurobiological response whilst experiencing them and riding out the waves. The feeling of Vulnerability, Embarrassment, Disappointment, Frustration - just like this described in yesterday’s post - are usually experienced as being unpleasant and negative. In this light, most of us reach for distractions to avoid or suppress them. To help work through them a simple body scan can help at the outset, but at a deeper level it is important to acknowledge that these feelings need not necessarily or inherently be bad or negative but simply unpleasant and uncomfortable.
Read MoreIn honour of World Mental Health Day 10.10.20 I will be sharing a 2 part piece and a more specific blog post to help you identify these feelings and release them. This is part one, highlighting some of the feelings that can come up and lead us to use one or more forms of distraction to avoid or suppress them.
Read MoreWhen discussing wellness habits and routines, you might often have heard of this suggestion to wake up peacefully, without checking phones, socials, emails, calendars. Quite often a part of the 'programming' in modern life will be to reach for a device, sometimes with eyes still half closed. Without giving our psyche, energy, minds, selves a chance to recalibrate to the waking state from the dream state.
We might carry on then, overtly or subtly impacted by what we see - the ticking over our to-do lists of having to be somewhere, do the next thing; the inward groan or twinge of being reminded of something you'd rather forget... the list is endless!
Read MoreIf you are looking to complement your daily routine with a yummy rejuvenative supplement, consider a daily dose of Chyvanprasam. This is a dark, rich herbal lehyam (jam form or malty form made with jaggery or sugars) that is sweet, sour, tangy and a little bit peppery. The jam is made with a powerful blend of Ayurvedic herbs, as well as honey and ghee which are ‘anupana’ that help to carry all of these nutrients to the body tissue.
Read MoreLockdown again. What uncertain times we are in. Reaching out today to share in the collective feelings of frustration and trying to stay clear-headed in response to a phenomenon that is not really up to us. A few things going through my mind today..
1. How connected are we as a species, no matter how remote or isolated? Seemingly unconnected actions weave around us like a web, really driving home the point that we are One, pulsating, connected whole. Waves belonging to one ocean, truly.
2. If we can hang tight for another 6 weeks by doing the right things and adhering to what is set out for us as a community we can minimise the spread and get out to the other side sooner than if we kept delaying and furthering the uncertainty.
3. Nothing is really certain, so while we make plans we must also plan to be open, receptive and responsive to the moment. This means letting go of our most treasured hopes and plans if we must, by placing trust and faith in a bigger truth than we can conceptualise in our minds
Take the time to listen to the little cues from your body, and to prioritise yourself. The capacity to do this varies greatly from person to person but there is always some little inlet to this place. It is as simple as putting a few minutes to good use by listening to what your body and ‘inner sense’ is telling you on the daily. And then work from there. This can open the door to an amazing connection with yourself leading you to practice and strengthen that Gut Instinct that is the voice of the universe, having your back and guiding you toward the most amazing possibilities.
Read MoreAyurveda teaches that in order to optimise your health you must clear the accumulation of the doshas from your system. Any increase in the dosha can cause illness. They can be cleared through the bowel, bladder, stomach, lungs, uterus and skin. The classic herbal laxatives (encouraging bowel motions), diuretics (encouraging urination), emetics (encouraging vomiting), expectorants (encouraging clearing of mucus), emmenagogues (encouraging menstrual flow) and diaphoretics (encouraging sweating) do this.
To facilitate the clearing, Ayurveda recommends adherence to a routine of daily activities (dinacarya) that helps to optimise health. It is also called svasthavrtta, referring to healthy lifestyle habits.
The start of Autumn is a time when the air element (vayu) is predominant, and there is the tendency for erratic changes, windiness and movement. This has a tendency to aggravate ‘vata’ within us, that may have accumulated through summer.
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